Time & Space (2018)

Turnstile are a band that I struggled to get into, I admit. But in time, they wore on me. And looking back I realized that I took way too fucking long to be won over. Seriously. It's really something to be enjoying a band this much now and in retrospect, you're scratching your head as to why you didn't take to them earlier. I still can't understand why! Well, that's water under the bridge. And with that in mind, prepare to have that bridge destroyed by the tidal wave that is Time & Space.

Comparing Turnstile's past to this honestly seems pedestrian at this point because this record exists, well, in its own time and space. It's like a whole new dimension where Turnstile has shaken off comparisons from the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers and even 311, forging a name for themselves with an aggression that melds hardcore and punk like no other band at present. And easily surpassing what they've accomplished prior.

"Real Thing" and "Big Smile" are perfect as openers -- fast-swinging garage-punk cutting loose in ways that'll leave your head spinning. Music-wise, think of Plague Vendor. It's less about melody and more about boisterous fits of punk where vocalist Brendan Yates contorts lyrics around -- wailing, screaming yet somehow he's perfectly legible. As for the sludgier side of hardcore, then look no further than "Generator" -- made to stomp in the pit and lose your shit. Now, let me warn you that there's no letting up just three tracks in.

"I Don't Wanna Be Blind" continues this punk momentum (with a grunge flavor) but as you'll come to discover it's not just about frenetic motion. It's about a more tempered and calculating Turnstile. Will Yip puts out arguably the most dynamic production I've ever heard from him, pushing his technical limits even when flopping with interludes like "Bomb" and "Disco" -- which are so out of place. However, when it comes to the banger called "High Pressure." Produce Will Yip's punk sensibility really shines here. When Sheer Mag's Tina Halladay jumps in on background vocals for the poppier "Moon" Yip then allows the band more room to breathe with a spacier sound (kind of like what he did for bands like Turnover, Balance and Composure and Title Fight). That's experience for ya. And in doing so, this is where he helps Turnstile carve out an identity of their own.

Even when Franz Lyons (bass) jumps in for some shoegaze-esque vocals on "Moon" and Diplo (Major Lazer) enters the mix with some electronic beats on "Right To Be", Yip and the band get it right -- balancing all sounds to leave the scales oscillating between hardcore and punk, yet tipping more to the latter. And truth be told, that's an understatement. Turnstile has shed a lot of its hardcore skin and as cliched as it sounds, they're now... punk as fuck.